Virginia Department of Transportation Again Kills Starlings

[Edititorialist]

I am submitting immediately below an article from our local Channel 8 TV station in Richmond, Virginia concerning Virginia Department of Transportation's continuing insistence on killing the starlings for messing on the bridge in spite of the fact killing is stopping them. Following that article I post my response to VDOT's actions and hope your readership will take the recommended action:

"Benjamin Harrison Bridge Battling Bird Problems

Updated: May 6, 2009 01:12 PM EDT

HOPEWELL, Va. (AP) - A large flock of pesky starlings is defying the state's efforts to keep the birds off the Benjamin Harrison Bridge near Hopewell.
The Virginia Department of Transportation has tried for several years to rid the bridge of an estimated 3,000 to 5,000 European Starlings. The agency has used pyrotechnic noise devices, a scarecrow and even poison.
But the starlings won't leave.

VDOT officials say the birds' droppings have damaged the bridge that spans the James River. The droppings also can carry a lung disease called histoplasmosis.

Taya Garman with VDOT says poisoned bait laid out in February killed some starlings but the problem hasn't been resolved.
Garman says the agency will try poison again later this year.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Link to Article:

Benjamin Harrison Bridge Battling Birds - WRIC Richmond News and Weather -

May 7, 200
Mr. Thomas A. Hawthorne
Richmond District Administrator
Virginia Department of Transportation
2430 Pine Forest Drive
Colonial Heights, VA 23834

RE: Starling Population Control on Benjamin Harrison Bridge

Dear Mr. Harrison:

I am somewhat disappointed that I never received a reply to my letter of March 2lst in which I had hoped you would have mentioned what action you have taken concerning the recommendations PETA has offered you dealing with the starlings.

What disappoints me even me is that your Ms. Taya Garman announces resumption of the killing will occur again even though it along with all other methods previously used did not stop the starlings from roosting on the bridge. Isn’t that a bit stupid and imbecilic? I wonder if you even tried the methods PETA recommended and if so, why haven’t they been made public comment?

The use of DRC-1339 is not as risk free as you have tried to convince the public and to back that statement, I quote from two sources of information.

"From: The Agricultural Compounds and
Veterinary Medicines Group for ERMA New Zealand.
ACVM Contact Address:
ACVM Group
New Zealand Food Safety Authority
P O Box 2835
WELLINGTON
Phone: 04 463 2550
Fax: 04 463 2566
Email: acvm@nzfsa.govt.nz
First Aid Treatment in the Field
If the concentrate or treated baits are swallowed, you
should make the patient drink a glass or two of water
and induce vomiting by putting your finger down his
throat. Repeat until the vomit fluid looks clear. Call a
doctor immediately.

Environmental Contamination
DRC 1339 is an organochlorine, but does not appear
to have the persistence or the tendency to accumulate
in the food chain that other organochlorines such as
DDT have. However, DRC 1339 is soluble in water
and is moderately toxic to fish. Take care to avoid
contaminating streams, lakes, ponds, or other water
supplies. Some plant species are also affected by
DRC 1339".

"Proceedings of the Eleventh Vertebrate Pest
Conference
University of Nebraska
POTENTIAL PRIMARY AND
SECONDARY HAZARDS OF
AVICIDES
E.W. Schafer Jr.
Wildlife Research Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
The only instances of documented secondary poisoning have occurred when
crows have scavenged on the gut contents of pigeons killed with Starlicide baits (Kreps 1974).
Instances of dogs, cats, hogs, owls, fox and hawks preying or scavenging on starlicide-killed birds have
never resulted in documented secondary poisoning in the field (Besser et al. 1967, Ford 1967, Royall et
al. 1967). Laboratory studies have verified the lack of secondary hazards (DeCino et al. 1966,
Lefebvre et al. 1981). It is important to note that applications of this family of compounds involving
routes other than oral may result in secondary hazards to some selected species. For example, lethal
dermal applications of CPT or CAT can result in massive amounts of external body contamination (5 to
10 mg/bird). This contamination could easily prove fatal to the few predatory or scavenger species
such as cats and owls that are sensitive to these compounds. Tests conducted at the DWRC have verified
the susceptibility of these animals, but, in general, it appears that Starlicide/CAT/CPT are almost universally low in secondary hazard potential."

As you can see this substance is potentially harmful to aquatic and plant life and can effect non target species in a very toxic or lethal manner. I might point out that if this substance is so safe as you claim, why is it treated as a very toxic substance if ingested by man and induced vomiting must be rendered and a physician immediately called. Even though it takes absorption through the skin of an animal to release the toxicity it still poses unnecessary risk for non target animals.

We will not give up the fight to get you to stop the use of this potentially highly toxic substance as we will boycott employment at your Department by telling all prospective employees we know who care about animals not to seek employment with you because of your total disregard for animal life, which in this case is inexcusable. NOW STOP THE KILLING SINCE IT IS NOT WORKING AND FIND A HUMANE WAY OF SOLVING THE PROBLEM!

Sincerely,

[Savery]

They used to have a perigrine falcon nest on that very bridge....

[Rahni]

Yes poisoning is a very cruel way of going about it. Not sure what Peta's policy on feral animals is, however action MUST be taken to destroy as many feral birds as possible, but in a more humane way then poisoning. Feral birds and other animals are a huge problem, especially in Australia, and I believe that in the US so many starlings can land on one powerline that the powerline can snap. That little fact says alot about the huge volume of starlings in the US.

[RubyMuse]

You can not poison birds to reduce population. If the environmnet has the carrying capacity for the species, the ones left will fill the gaps...

This is not based in science and is costly and dangerous. It doesn't work people.